Clearcast clearance

Before an advert can go on air with the UK’s commercial broadcasters, it has to be cleared. We can take care of that for you, whether we’re making your advert or you’ve already had one made somewhere else.

What is Clearcast?

Clearcast is the organisation that checks TV adverts on behalf of the UK’s commercial broadcasters before they’re allowed on air. Its job is to make sure adverts follow the UK advertising rules, which in plain terms means they mustn’t be misleading, harmful or offensive.

That’s there to protect viewers, but it protects you as an advertiser too, because finding a problem when it’s still a script is far cheaper than finding it once the advert has been made.

How clearance works

If you’ve never been through it before, this is roughly what happens:

Script approval. The script is sent in before production starts, so that any concerns come up while changes are still easy to make.
Claims and substantiation. If the advert makes a claim, such as a price, a saving or a comparison with somebody else, Clearcast will want to see the evidence for it. We’ll tell you what’s needed and send it in for you.
Rough cuts. Where it’s helpful, an early edit can be sent for comment before the advert is finished.
Final approval. The finished commercial is submitted and approved for broadcast.
Changes. If any amendments are asked for, we deal with the back and forth and make the changes.
Delivery. Once it’s approved, the advert is delivered to the broadcasters in the format they need.

If we’re making your ad

Clearance is simply part of the process. We write with the rules in mind from the start, we get the script in early, and we handle everything through to final approval, so you don’t need to deal with Clearcast at all.

If your ad was made elsewhere

We also offer clearance as a service on its own. It’s for agencies, production companies and businesses who already have a finished advert or a script, and who need a hand getting it to air.

We can look it over, flag anything that’s likely to cause a problem, manage the submission for you and, if it’s needed, make the technical changes and deliver it to the broadcasters.

Need help with Clearcast?